How can an unpublished writer, with no degree or relevant resume ever expect to

1. 59

   learnloveliveposted 12 years ago

   How can an unpublished writer, with no degree or relevant resume ever expect to develop a portfolio?
   
   How can a multi-faceted, skilled but entry-level writer with no accredited education develop a resume without having a portfolio, vice versa?

   replyreport
2. 79

   Man from Modestoposted 12 years ago

   Try duotrope.com
   
   You can do searched and find publishers who publish your genre and length of writing. From flash fiction (a few sentences) to novels, you can find multiple publishers in each genre.
   
   Also, join a writer's group. Check out meetup.com, you can search for groups in your area.
   
   Also: be determined and wise. Pray for God to open opportunities for you, and to give you favor.

   replyreport
3. 84

   tammyfrostposted 12 years ago

   You can show samples of your Published Articles in your Portfolio.

   replyreport
4. 76

   marriedwithdebtposted 12 years ago

   If you are indeed a skilled writer looking for work, just write some sample articles and make your own website a portfolio.
   
   Even if you've never had a paying client, you can post quality examples of what they can expect to get from you. In fact, I'd never work with a writer whose work I could not see first.
   
   Wordpress makes it easy to build and host a professional looking website with little experience needed.
   
   Hope this helps.

   replyreport
5. 58

   mortimerjacksonposted 12 years ago

   Well, the way to do it is to actually build a portfolio. That's what I've been doing for the past six months. Self-pubbing novels, offering short stories and writing articles is my way of building up a portfolio. And with some sales under my belt and over ten thousand downloads/views, I think I've got some pretty shiny things to put on a resume.
   
   If you don't have an accredited education, then you best believe you need a portfolio. I'd highly suggest you get cracking and write stuff. This year I plan to do a bit of journalism myself.

   replyreport
6. 59

   learnloveliveposted 12 years ago

   I believe I will develop a .wordpress. I need to look into the particulars of it but yes, that sounds reasonable. I used to have one but never understood it's capacity, I guess. I treated it like a blog and then deleted it out of shame. What other initiatives are there for using .wordpress as career builder? Once I've established content and loyal viewers where do I go to seek legitimate employment. Say I am interested in writing for a scientific journal such as American Scientist. Do I simply query them with a hook and hope to reel something in?

   replyreport
7. 0

   Old Empresarioposted 12 years ago

   It depends on who you are and what experience you have outside of writing. It depends on what sort of writing you want to do. Sometimes you should write your pieces first, then figure out what to do with them.

   replyreport
8. 0

   Indigitalposted 12 years ago

   Education isn't everything. Many people have got into jobs without a great education.

   replyreport
9. 39

   ChristinSposted 12 years ago

   There are easier things to use than wordpress if you are not website savvy and there are many websites out there that allow you to drag/drop build a portfolio search for free portfolio websites for writers - or have a look at the hub I did called 101 free tools every freelance writer/web designer needs.  In time, once you get a nice amount of clips you may want to consider having someone build you a custom portfolio
   
   As far as querying every magazine and publication is going to have their own specifications and directions.  The worst thing you can do is pitch to a magazine without any idea what their guidelines for querying are.  Look into any publication you want to work with and follow their rules exactly.  You can also invest in something like the writers market guide (highly recommended) which will help you easily locate writer's guidelines and other pertinent information about pretty much any publication imaginable. 
   
   Start small - go for small magazines or local pieces to build clips and then build up from there.  For writers it's often more about experience and what's in your portfolio than your educational background.

   replyreport